Highland vs AngusX beef

Falls-Acre · #1 04/18/11, 09:14 PM

I have an opportunity to get either a (possibly) bred Highland cow or an AngusX steer. Which would be the better choice and why?

Oxankle · #2 04/18/11, 10:34 PM

Are you planning to eat this animal or start a breeding herd? LOL; Makes a big difference in the answer.

trbizwiz · #3 04/19/11, 11:29 AM

Highlands are a very interesting looking cow. Seems a bred cow if it is young enough may be an opportunity to have beef in the future. I hear the hiland beef is very good when properly done. You would have to get it bred in the future some how, if you went with the cow. I would say buy both if you can swing it. The steer should be 6 months to a year ahead of the calf so you would have plenty of beef for a while. Good luck.

To get good advice, consider posting you palans and goals for these animals. The bred cow is going to be the more expensive option until she gives you at least 3 calves, when you figure all of your costs. SO makesure she is young enough to give you 5 or 6 calves to be sure.

MO_cows · #4 04/19/11, 01:34 PM

The cow, you are about 18 months away from having beef if she has the calf tomorrow. The steer, 6 months maybe, depending how old it is. Which option is better depends on what you want.

haypoint · #5 04/20/11, 04:31 PM

A possibly bred Highlander is also a possibly unbred or unbreedable Highlander. Let me guess, the cow has huge horns and she knows how to use them (they all do) and the steer is polled.
If you want beef, get the Angus. If you want something exotic, get a Cockatoo.

spinandslide · #6 04/20/11, 05:15 PM

Id take the cow..me personally..true, you are aways out from the calf being ready to eat..but you have the cow, whom you can breed again and get another calf to feed out.

Once the steer is in the freezer, its done.

linn · #7 04/21/11, 08:07 AM

If you are wanting beef for the freezer, Angus is hard to beat. We raise Angus and Angus cross, it is the best beef we have ever raised.

springvalley · #8 04/21/11, 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by haypoint

A possibly bred Highlander is also a possibly unbred or unbreedable Highlander. Let me guess, the cow has huge horns and she knows how to use them (they all do) and the steer is polled.
If you want beef, get the Angus. If you want something exotic, get a Cockatoo.

Once again the sun has come up from the west, and I agree with Haypoint, HORNS I don`t care for. And they have long horns, angus don`t have horns at all, a Cocktoo have feathers. > Marc

FEF · #9 04/22/11, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Falls-Acre

I have an opportunity to get either a (possibly) bred Highland cow or an AngusX steer. Which would be the better choice and why?

Depends on what you're going to do with it. I wouldn't expect you'd eat a bred cow? But you can't breed a steer.

If you're wanting it for meat, I'd recommend the AngusX steer. There's a reason for all that "angus" labeling and it's not all hype.

If you're wanting to start a breeding herd, the bred cow would be a start. But think seriously about the future of your herd. IMO, you'd be better off buying a bred polled (no horns) beef cow. No, I'm not trying to insult Highland breeders. They're unusual and out of mainstream and you love them.

When we first started our registered herd, we thought AI was magic. It wasn't. It takes generations of breeding to quality bulls to get the kind of cows we could have bought for just a few more $$$ to start with!

postroad · #10 04/22/11, 01:01 PM

Never had a Highland. My brother had one in his pasture and he said it was retarded.

But one animal does not make a breed.

oregon woodsmok · #11 04/22/11, 04:32 PM

You get double duty with a Highlander: beef, plus a lawn ornament.

I can't help but think that the hide would make a mighty fine rug if you got it tanned.

SpaceCadet12364 · #12 04/23/11, 11:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oregon woodsmok

You get double duty with a Highlander: beef, plus a lawn ornament.

I can't help but think that the hide would make a mighty fine rug if you got it tanned.

Yes they do. Trick is, finding someone willing to tangle with a big hairy cow hide, if you can't do it yourself.

anvoj · #13 04/24/11, 09:37 AM

Anybody know a good place to get a hide tanned? I've got a steer to butcher this fall with a great coat of long blonde hair that would make a great rug or couch cover or something. I know it's kind of pricey, but I think it would be worth it, just not sure where to get it done. (Our highlanders are not retarded btw)

HighlandCowboy · #14 04/24/11, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by haypoint

A possibly bred Highlander is also a possibly unbred or unbreedable Highlander. Let me guess, the cow has huge horns and she knows how to use them (they all do) and the steer is polled.
If you want beef, get the Angus. If you want something exotic, get a Cockatoo.

You can tell by my name what kind of cows I like, but I still LOL'd when I read this and have to admit it is sound advice for many people. I probably could have been talked into trading the herd for a cockatoo yesterday. (Five hour rodeo and emergency fence repairs in the rain, lotsa fun.)

postroad · #15 04/24/11, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anvoj

Anybody know a good place to get a hide tanned? I've got a steer to butcher this fall with a great coat of long blonde hair that would make a great rug or couch cover or something. I know it's kind of pricey, but I think it would be worth it, just not sure where to get it done. (Our highlanders are not retarded btw)

My brother had her in with a herd of Angus heifers. Polled as always the case in Angus.

I think this older cow may have been naturally aggressive and of course with the added advantage of long pointy bits.

postroad · #16 04/24/11, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HighlandCowboy

You can tell by my name what kind of cows I like, but I still LOL'd when I read this and have to admit it is sound advice for many people. I probably could have been talked into trading the herd for a cockatoo yesterday. (Five hour rodeo and emergency fence repairs in the rain, lotsa fun.)

So they were acting a little retarded?

HighlandCowboy · #17 04/25/11, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by postroad

So they were acting a little retarded?

They're really not that bad... MOST of the time. I have one young cow that might be a little retarded and an escape artist as well, but usually they're pretty laid back. Yesterday I had a "perfect storm" situation. A heifer in heat, 2 yearling bulls that wanted to go visit her, I had run out of silage and had to feed out some lousy 1st cutting hay, the fence was shorted out in a dozen places, and it was raining, lol. The kind of day that makes you wonder where it all went wrong. But other than that, Highlands are great. Based on my friend's misadventures with his Angus herd, I'd say Angus takes the Crazy Cow award by a long shot.

bonnycow · #18 04/25/11, 03:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HighlandCowboy

They're really not that bad... MOST of the time. I have one young cow that might be a little retarded and an escape artist as well, but usually they're pretty laid back. Yesterday I had a "perfect storm" situation. A heifer in heat, 2 yearling bulls that wanted to go visit her, I had run out of silage and had to feed out some lousy 1st cutting hay, the fence was shorted out in a dozen places, and it was raining, lol. The kind of day that makes you wonder where it all went wrong. But other than that, Highlands are great. Based on my friend's misadventures with his Angus herd, I'd say Angus takes the Crazy Cow award by a long shot.

so you had the day I am having today !!
Have to go into work midmorning ...come out to start chores , three big momma highlands slipped through the fence into main pasture from the seven acre field I am holding the herd in .. till i actually get some grass in the summer pasture .... no one to haul out a round bale fore me .. to muddy by far to even do it , feeding out crappy 1st cutting round bales to breeding herd just to get by another week or two in that field , just enough grass coming where they are . yeah right !!! They reeealy want down on summer pature
pouring down rain ... fence has shorted (where the cows slipped through no doubt) .. no time to check .. or maybe it could be the flooding in the bottom part of field that puts the water level up over the 1st hot wire ... sigh
and a heifer just came in heat that should have .. and was bred !!! and was due next month ... she nice and fat ... hmmmm
I could do with a little less rain ....
I could go on ....

PHyde

lonelyfarmgirl · #19 04/25/11, 06:07 PM

our highlands don't 'use their horns' towards us. We have some born and raised here, and some from different herds bought grown, and were wild when we got them. the vast majority will run scaired before trying to horn a human.

Base your decision on why you want the animal.

anjov, pm'ing you about tanning.